


Falling was the Easy Part

by TheLazyEveryday



Category: Homestuck
Genre: Alternate Universe - Demons, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Demons, Fallen Angel Sebastian, I'm talking out of my ass here, Kind of a classic demon hunter thing, Kind of a rare pair, M/M, No Smut, but we'll see, who knows - Freeform, with kind of a twist?
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-10-16
Updated: 2016-10-16
Packaged: 2018-08-22 17:36:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,255
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8294279
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheLazyEveryday/pseuds/TheLazyEveryday
Summary: I shed my wings to speak my mind / To see what mystery I'd find / And yet through bruises all the more / I come upon your shore...
One choice can make all the difference in the world. Sebastian never imagined a life beyond what Heaven held for him. Now, at the end of it all, he finds just how dangerous speaking out can really be. Turns out, more than a few nightmares lurk in the shadows. But then again, what's wrong with meeting a demon who really is 'bad to the bone'?Be careful what you wish for...





	

_...Ashes...Ashes...We all fall down.... _

 

_ Pain.  _ The first things he remembered in that mess was the pain. That, and the intense smell of the trees, all of them dripping with the colors of fire. No one had warned him about the autumn trees before he fell. Then again, no one had really warned him of anything at all. 

 

Sebastian woke to the sound of snapping twigs, the anger of nature running past his ears like a symphony, and he woke, he woke in fear. There was a slow movement of the shock, blinking the rays of the setting sun from his eyes. He sat up in the grass, soft and waving against his unbroken skin, and he shook the leaves and debris from his wings, white wings that floated gently in the streams of wind. The blades of his shoulders tensed with the effort to flap them, and his whole frame shuddered from the spasm of pain that radiated. He froze, biting back a cry. No, he couldn’t fly. That much was already clear. That wasn’t what bothered Sebastian most, though the aches that came from his fall were clear and present. The air hung still, and he breathed. Everything here felt so...finite. Each thing had an ending, a death of sorts that he couldn’t understand. Well, he could. Someone had explained that death was like falling asleep forever. He laughed a little. That didn’t seem so bad. Every bone within him felt this, as if they’d just begun to age, and he sat below the tree, plucking the leaves and watching the veins as they faded. 

 

_ No, you can’t forget, can you? _

 

Sebastian stopped, eyes wide. How could he sit by? Was it even an option now to forget it?

 

Even then, words had been farther from his mind than anything.  _ Mute,  _ they called him, but nothing was wrong with his voice. Heaven had accepted that he couldn’t speak, and so he became a soldier instead. No one ever told new angels that they would become part of some great mechanistic army. So it went on.

Nothing had prepared him for war, save for lectures and understanding he only had theory of. War was terrifying, jarring to the core, and he learned more than he ever had in heaven. He wished he hadn’t. Demons of every shape terrorized their ranks, breathing death and destruction. He had been told as much: hellspawn existed to wreak havoc and eradicate every bit of good, and of course, the ranks of heaven sought to banish the dark. It was a balance, and he saw only one side. Of course, why wouldn’t he? They were right in their pursuit, and Hell was innately wrong. That was how it had always been. Sebastian...His name sounded like so much more than a messenger. “One venerable and revered,” it meant, yet who would revere him as anything more than expendable? But he pressed on, he always did. 

Yet, that was where everything had fallen apart. The mission had been like any other: scout ahead, leave no trace, be back by sundown, and do [i]not[/i] allow anyone to see his quick and agile form. Simple. Clear. An utter mess. Sebastian had begun his descent into a rather large ravine, watching for signs of a demon hive or encampment. Something to report and later attack. It wasn’t difficult to see the signs, but something about it seemed...off. The normal tell-tale ideals of burned wood, gouged bodies, or broken homes were missing, save for distinct tracks and the sound of screams. He had followed the breadcrumb trail, wary as to what he would truly find. From the edge of the hive, he stopped short, finally understanding. The hive was full of course, full of hellspawn with their own prizes. Angels, humans alike trapped there with no recourse. He already knew what his commanders would say. Eradicating the demons was a top priority. Collateral happened, whether they saved anyone or not. He would destroy the hive, killing their own kind, and the denizens of Earth. He couldn’t. 

A lie, and by extension an idea, is the most poisonous and infectious disease the mind can adopt for itself. Once formed, a lie will only grow as situations call for it to change and evolve, until there is nothing left but falsehood. The lie was so small, in the beginning. Sebastian returned as promised before nightfall, reporting to his superiors that the ravine was empty, the place ravaged by infighting. It was accepted, and that was all. He slept soundly, for that night. But the ache and falsehood was kept up, as questions were repeated, reports came in without match. He tried to stop, to explain what had happened, but it was too late. He was always too late.

And most vividly, more than anything else, Sebastian could remember the screaming. He the jury and crowd screaming for this useless tool of an angel to be killed then and there, the trial of holy fire where his own chains bound around his arms were seared into his skin, raked along his back in a fashion he would never forget. The judge standing by with not a word left to say, though he had given every instance to say what he had thought, what he had decided. He remembered pleading, asking for another way, any way. He had only the best intentions. He wanted to save the people. No, he had wanted to save himself. Sebastian had said nothing after the branding finished, as he was led away. No, he remembered it all. All of the screaming, the jeers against his sanctity. Against him. He remembered asking how Heaven, _Heaven,_ could be so cruel. How the pinnacle of love was nothing but a lie, a marble, empty throne and he had sunk to his knees, dragged to the edge of where Heaven’s light could not reach. It had been bright, light, alive. Now it was dead, and all he knew was the rush of wind, and he was falling-

_No._  


The fallen came back to himself, clutching the torn leaf with shaking hands. The wind whistled through the darkened trees, echoing the sound of his bare feet in the grass as he finally moved to stand. That much was easy. Sebastian swallowed hard, thinking back to what humans really needed to live. He  _was_ mortal, after all.  _Food, water, someplace to sleep._ Right. The rest would come in time, and off he went, walking with new purpose through the wood. Though the night was young, the angel's eyes darted around, scanning each corner with wary interest. Even after he made his way, Sebastian could feel distant eyes on him, winking in the dark and speaking softly in the night.

\---

" _Is that one we've seen before?"_

_"You kidding? I think I'd remember a feathered little morsel like that."_

_"Oh shut up, we_ just  _ate. Give him some space."_

_"Going soft now? Hm...can't have that, Hal. Maybe there's a virgin or two around you'd be willing to-"_

_"Crass as usual, Ambrose? You remind me of someone..."_

_"Save it. Look, this one's not my type. I've got plans of my own without messing with the feathery assholes upstairs."_

_"Funny, I've never known_ you  _to have a type."_

_"Watch your mouth, ingrate. You should know_ who  _you're speaking to..."_

_"I-aagh! Jesus, point taken."_

_"Good boy. I'll leave this one to you, Hal. I'd like to think you know better than to disappoint."_

_"Heh, count on it."_

 


End file.
